Playable Undead Children, PEACH

[Rater202]

So, on a random whim, I decided I wanted playable undead children. 3.5 because it's what I'm most familiar with.

I'm going to start with a Monster Class based on the Slaymate from Libris Mortis, since it fits a pretty standard undead child archetype—died to malice or neglect on the part of a trusted guardian, now they're pissed off undead creatures.

I will not be using the savage progression stuff because it sucks. Instead, I will be treating this like a combination of a racial template(like Dragonborn of Bahamut or Hellbred) and a typical base class that just happens to have fewer levels than normal.

From there, I'm imagining Prestique Classes (or maybe racial paragon classes would be more appropriate) based on more distinct types of undead, which would have the prerequisite of completing the full Slaymate progression.

Though, depending on whims and feedback Ghost Children and Vampire Children might be fully distinct, or I might revise to make "undead child" a racial template and Slaymate an optional "paragon" class.

And for the record, I take the stance that the undead are not inherently antithetical to the natural order, even if they're not part of it, and that Negative energy is "evil" because it destroys or corrupts, not out of any moral statement.

With no further adieu.

SLAYMATES

There is nothing more natural than the emotional bond between parent and child. For many, most, races the desire to provide for and protect their offspring is a basic instinct, the feelings of affection for progeny instant. Likewise, a child often has feelings of unconditional love and trust for their parents.

Thus it is such an unnatural, such an evil thing when this bond is betrayed.

Rarely in extreme cases, when this abuse, neglect, or abandonment by a parent(or another guardian) leads to the child's death, the child reanimates as an undead creature who serves as a font of necrotic power. The exact origin of a Slaymate varies. Sometimes the child realizes the betrayal and their fear or anger as they die reacts to the malevolence of the act resulting in their revival with a desire for vengeance, other times some ambient unholy or necrotic magic in the area results in spontaneous reanimation, and sometimes particularly sinister or profane acts inflicted on a child by their guardian in and of themselves upset the natural balance enough for an undead abomination to be born from them.

More rarely, similar creatures may be born from other instances of a child dying unjustly, such as child soldiers killed in pointless battles or child slaves being worked to death.

There is one recorded instance of an evil magic user adopting an orphaned child in order to sacrifice them in a ritual only to soon after have their throat bitten out by their victim.

The only truly universal constant when it comes to Slaymates is that their death has to be the result of malice: A little girl who starves to death because her parents were killed by bandits on the way into town will not become a Slaymate. The guardian doesn't necessarily have to intend to kill the child, but there must be a deliberate choice to inflict harm or fail to attend to the child's needs.

Creating a Slaymate

Select a Humanoid or Monsterous Humanoid Race.

Type: Change type to undead and apply undead traits

all hit dice become D12, Undead do not have a constitution score.
all undead possess darkvision out to 60 feet(if the base race has darkvision, use whichever is better)
undead are immune to all mind-affecting spells and abilities (charms, compulsions, phantasms, patterns, and morale effects), poison, sleep effects, paralysis, stunning, disease, death effects, critical hits, nonlethal damage, ability drain, energy drain, damage to its physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution,) fatigue, exhaustion, and anything that requires a fortitude save, unless that effect is harmless or works on objects.
Undead are healed by negative energy and harmed by positive energy, undead are destroyed should they reach zero hit points but are immune to death from massive damage.
Undead cannot be revived by Raise Dead or Reincate, but Ressurection and True Ressurection can restore a destroyed undead to the living being they once were. Undead to not need to eat breathe or sleep.
A slaymate retains all subtypes but does not gain the augmented subtype.



Size: If the base creature is medium or larger, reduce the size by one category(large to medium, medium to small.) Do not recalculate ability scores. If the base race possesses the powerful build feature, they lose it.

Abilities: As the base race with the following modifications: STR-2, Dex+2. Undead creatures do not have a constitution Score.

Favored Class: Becomes any. Most Slaymates were too young to be set in a hard path favored by their culture.

Other Racial Traits: A Slaymate retains most racial traits from the base creature, but loses racial weapon proficiencies and can only have a maximum of one bonus language from intelligence

LA: None

Special: A Slaymate must take at least one level of the Slaymate Racial Class at character creation.

Appearance: The appearance of a Slaymate depends on their base race and even then it varies. Some can pass for a living child if one pale and cold. Others aren't obviously undead but have one or more otherworldly traits that hint at their true nature such as a pale green or blue tint to their skin tone, strange eyes color, or a just barely noticeable odor of decay or freshly dug soil. Some might seem perfectly normal except for some mark from their cause of death—an unhealing stab wound for a child murdered by their guardian. Others are quite obviously a reanimated corpse of some sort, physically trapped in the early stages of decay.

The only constant is that they are forever at the physical age at which they died, which averages in the 8-12 range.

Alignment: Negative Energy is a corruptive and destructive force that can potentially warp the mind of anyone who isn't shielded from it, and if a child was shielded from it they wouldn't have become a Slaymate in the first place. By default Good Aligned Slaymates are rare with most being neutral or evil upon reanimation However, Slaymates have free will and can change their ways over time, particularly if they receive vengeance, justice, or at least closure for the crimes that birthed them.

Slaymate Racial Class (I have neither the time nor the patience to set up a table)
Four Levels
Hit Dice: D12
Skills Points: 4+ intelligence, X 4 at first level, to a minimum of one.
Class Skills: Choose any ten class skills appropriate to the backstory of the Slaymate in question.
A Slaymate is proficient with their Bite attack and with simple weapons but not any kind of armor.

Base Attack Bonus: Half level.
Good Wil Saves: (+2 at first level +3 at 2, +4 at 4) Standard Reflex and Fortitude(+0 at first level, +1 at third)

Slaymate Racial Traits: All Slaymates belong to the Slaymate race, depicted above.

Natural Weapon: At first level, a Slaymate gains a bite attack as a primary natural weapon. The bite deals 1d4 for a small-sized Slaymate and scales up with size(1d6 for medium, 1d8 for large, etc.)

Pale Aura: The signature ability of Slaymates, a Slaymate of second-level possesses an invisible aura in a ten-foot radius centered on themselves. Any allied characters can subtract 1(to a minimum of zero) to the total levels added to any necromancy spell prepared or cast with metamagic feats. This is a Supernatural ability.

By default, a Slaymate cannot benefit from their own Pale Aura.

Pale Wasting: The bite of a Slaymate of third level or higher inflict a supernatural disease upon the victims. Anyone subjected to a Slaymate's bite attack must make a fortitude saving throw with a DC equal to 10+the Slaymate's charisma modifying or contract Pale Wasting. Pale Wasting has an incubation period of one day and deals 1d6 strength damage and 1d6 constitution damage.

Pale Mastery: At fourth level, a Slaymate gains a permanent plus 2 increase to their charisma score chooses one of three abilities.

Pale Armor: The Slaymate gains a Natual Armor and a Deflection Bonus to Armor class both equal to their charisma modifier.
Pale Fangs: The Slaymate gains the Improved Natural Attack and Weapon focus for their bite attack, ignoring all prerequisites, as bonus feats.
Pale Magic: The Slaymate gains the ability to use prestidigitation and any two cantrips/orisons from the wizard or cleric spell lists usable at will as well as a single first level necromancy spell usable once per day+one additional daily use for every point of their charisma modifier. The Slaymate's Caster Level for these abilities is equal to their total hit dice.



So, basically, we have the standard slaymate spread out across one level for each of its default 4 hit dice, with some tweaks to their abilities to be more player-friendly, plus a capstone at level four mostly to avoid having a dead level but also to reward anyone who went for all of them. The choices are meant to be a little bit. Overpowered to compensate for the underwhelming nature of the basic slaymate a PC option but I'm not the best judge of those things... I think I got Pale Armor right but...

You only really need to take the first level, you're not locked in like with Savage Progressions, so if you just want to play an undead child without too many frills you can multiclass out at second level.

From here, depending on feedback, we'll move into other kinds of undead building off the chassis provided by this class.

[Rater202]

LITTLE GHOULS

Little Ghouls are a potential "evolved" form of Slaymate, usually but not always born when a Slaymate's own death involves food or Cannibalism—a child forced to eat corpses to fend off hunger when abandoned by a parent is most common, but a child who was slain by a guardian with intent to cannibalize the child could, if reanimated as a Slaymate, also eventually become such a creature. Such cursed children find themselves incentivized to partake in fresh raw flesh.

Little Ghouls are distinguished from other varieties of Slaymate primarily by their hands and mouths—all Little Ghouls have razor-sharp claws and mouths full of terrible fangs designed to tear flesh and crush bone.

Most Little Ghouls bear a passing resemblance to their namesake creatures, semi-feral and in a state of early decay, but some can pass for living, or at least less monstrous undead until their mouths open.

Little Ghouls are not true ghouls or ghasts and bear no actual connection to their namesakes beyond surface similarities, but this doesn't stop more intelligent or civilized ghouls from "adopting" Little Ghouls, nor from Priests of Doresain or other divine beings of Death and Hunger from claiming that their patron holds dominion over them.

Prerequisites: A Little Ghoul must have four levels of the Slaymate racial class and have selected the Pale Fangs feature for their Pale Mastery

Four Levels

Saves: Good Will
BAB: Half level
Skills: 4+INT, a Little Ghoul's Class Skill are the same as the ones chosen for their Slaymate Class.

Natural Weapons: At first level, a Little Ghoul gains a pair of claw attacks as secondary natural weapons. They deal 1d3 damage for a small little ghoul and 1d4 for a medium, and so on.

Feast of Flesh: At first level, a Little Ghoul can spend ten minutes devouring the flesh a recently dead creature, or a helpless living creature who they successfully inflict a coup de grace upon, of tiny size or larger. The creature must be corporeal and composed of fresh or perfectly preserved flesh and blood, excluding plants and most undead and constructs. Upon completing the act, the little ghoul heals one point of damage for every Hit Die it possesses. If the creature is the same size category as the Little Ghoul, or smaller, its body is destroyed in the process. Unlike a true ghoul, a Little Ghoul has no direct need to feed on humanoids, but creatures with an intelligence score of three or higher allow the Little Ghoul to add their Charisma modifier to their total hit points gained by this feature.

Multiattack: A second-level Little Ghoul gains the multiattack feat as a bonus feat. At level 4, they gain improved Multiattack. If a ghoul already has one or both feats, they may instead select any feat they meet the prerequisites for.

Paralysis: In another superficial resemblance to true ghouls, anyone who fails their Fortitude save against a third-level Little Ghoul's Pale Wasting is paralyzed for 1d4 rounds. Creatures immune to supernatural diseases are not subject to this effect.

Ravenous Little One: A little Ghoul's Pale Fangs ability gained from its levels in Slaymate expands, providing the same benefit to both claw attacks. In addition, it gains one of the following benefits.
Fast Metabolism: A number of times per day equal to their charisma modifier, a Little Ghoul who succeeds in using their bite attack to inflict damage on a creature subject to their Feast of Flesh class feature can heal themselves a number of hit points equal to the damage they inflicted.
Virulence: The Little Ghoul's Pale Wasting save DC increases by 2. The Incubation time becomes instant, and on a failed save the subject is paralyzed for 1d4 minutes, not rounds. As a full-round action, a Little Ghoul can reinfect someone who has already failed their save and is currently paralyzed with a hyper-concentrated version of the disease by dripping some of their blood into the subject's wounds. The victim must make another Fortitude Save at the same DC and on a failure becomes paralyzed for 24 hours.
Halitosis: Nobody is quite sure how this power works, but some little Ghouls develop the ability to unleash a breath weapon as an extraordinary ability: A thirty-foot cone of terrible stench akin to the smell of rotting flesh mixed with caustic bile. Any creature in the area of effect must make a Fortitude save with a DC of 10 plus their charisma modifier or be Nauseated for a number of rounds equal to the Little Ghoul's charisma modifier. On a successful save, they are merely sickened for the same amount of time. This breath weapon can be used every 1d4 rounds.

Optionally, a Little Ghoul's allies can develop a tolerance for their Little Ghoul's specific halitosis by being subjected to the breath for two consecutive days and making their save both times, or by being subjected to the breath for ten consecutive days. Otherwise, they're just as vulnerable as anyone else. A creature that is immune to a Ghast's stench ability is immune to this.So the idea here is that it's evocative of a Ghoul without actually being a Ghoul or Ghast.

I've also got an idea for an Invocation User that, over 16 levels, transitions into a reasonable approximation of a Lich, a "ghost" based on Japanese Style Horror movies about children or young women who were murdered or betrayed so they come back as super-powerful ghosts and curse people to death, and something loosely mummy inspired(which might be folded into the Lich, I don't know.)

Still not sure if Child Vampires should be their own thing or build off of the Slaymate chassis. I'm open to suggestions.

[Rater202]

LICHLINGS

A Lich is a spellcaster, usually, an evil one as most methods of becoming one requires morally reprehensible processes and even the ones that don't are considered distasteful though benevolent variations do exist, who seeks a form of quasi-immortality by becoming an undead creature and creating an anchor or hiding place for their soul. Fear of Death? Desire to have the time to learn everything there is to learn? Shear arrogance? Or, rarely, to protect someone or something for all eternity.

Most Lich's hate the so-called Lichlings.

A Lichling is a potential evolved form of the Slaymate, born from a child with unusually great magical potential—the kind of child who may have grown up to become a Sorcerer, or perhaps one of their ancestors made a pact or benefited from a blessing and became a Warlock and the child would have benefited from the same. Sometimes, such a Slaymate who exists long enough becomes a sorcerer or warlock anyway. Other times, this latent talent combines with the font of necrotic power that causes necromantic spells to be easier to enhance in the Slaymate's presence and the slow metamorphosis into an immortal Lichling begins, without any conscious choice on the part of the undead child in question.

Prerequisites: A Lichling must have four levels in the Slaymate racial class and have selected Pale Magic for their Pale Mastery

16 Levels.

Skills: Same as chosen for the Base Slaymate. 4+int points per level.
Saves: Good Will.
BAB: Half.

Invocations: From first level onward, a Lichling possesses an instinctive, innate ability to channel magical power. They do not have access to spells in the traditional sense, but can still generate specific defined effects on command. At first level and every even-numbered level afterward(2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16) the Lichling selects one evocation from the Warlock Evocation list. As a Lichling does not possess an Eldritch Blast, they cannot select Eldritch Essense of Blast Shape Evocations. A Lichling uses Charisma as their casting ability, and their Caster Level is equal to their Slaymate Level+their Lichling Levels. At level 16, a Lichling's Caster LEvel becomes equal to their total hitdice. Once per week, a Lichling can spend eight hours to switch one Invocation they know with any other Invocation they qualify for, as long as after this process they have at least one invocation of each level of invocations they have access to. (A level 16 Lichling could not take 9 weeks to replace their entire repertoire with nine Dark Invocations and must have at least one least, lesser, and greater invocation.)

At first level, a Lichling has access to Least Invocations. At fourth level, they gain access to lesser invocations, at eighth level they can select greater invocations, and twelfth level they can select dark invocations.

Warlock levels, or those of other Invoking Classes, do not stack with levels of Lichling when determining caster level.

Deadly Grasp: As a supernatural ability, a Lichling from first level onward can make a touch attack that inflicts 1d8+CHA modifier negative energy damage. This can be done by itself as a standard action or as part of a full attack action with the Lichlings bite attack, in which case the Lichling's touch attack counts as a secondary natural weapon when making the attack roll(though still only needs to meet Touch AC)

Damage Reduction: A Lichling of Third Level or higher gains damage reduction, overcome by magical bludgeoning weapons. At Third Level, the Lichling has DR 1/Magic and Bludgeoning. At every odd level afterward(5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15) this DR increases by 1 to a maximum of DR 8 at level 15.

Ability Score Increase: A Lichling at fifth level gains a permanent +2 increase to Intelligence, Charisma, and Wisdom.

Immunities: At seventh level, a Lichling becomes immune to either Cold or Electricity chosen at the time.. At ninth level, they become immune to the other energy type. At eleventh, they become immune to Polymorph effects, unless they consciously allow themselves to be affected or are casting the effect themselves.

Aura of Terror: From Thirteenth level onward, any creature within the area of effect of a Lichling's Pale Aura must succeed on a Willsave with a DC equal to 10 plus the Licklin'gs Charisma Modifer or be panicked for one round per total Slaymate and Lichling levels. On a successful saving throw, the creature is merely Shaken for one round and then becomes immune to this particular Lichling's aura for 24 hours. A level 16, the duration becomes one round per total hitdice of the Lichling.

A Lichling can selectively prevent its allies from being affected, or suppress the fear effects of its aura. surpressing and redeploying the fear effect are both free actions.

Turn Resistance: A Lichling of thirteenth level or higher has turn resistance equal to their charisma modifier. This stacks with any other source of Turn resistance.

Animate Dead: A fifteenth Lichling can, as a Supernatural Ability, replicate the effects of the spell animate dead as a standard action number of times per day qual to their Charisma Modifier. The Casting Time becomes instant, and as long as the Lichling has a body to work with the d not need to provide expensive material components. A Lichling can control up to its hit dice times its charisma modifier in total hit dice of zombies and skeletons and no more than twice its charisma modifier in specific individuals. A lichling cannot voluntarily relinquish control but must have a minion stolen from them or be destroyed if they wish to replace it. This ability otherwise functions at the spell.

This ability qualifies as a Necromancy Spell for the purpose of the Corpsecrafter feat and any feat or feature that has Corpsecrafter as a prerequisite.

Cursed Eternities. At 16th level, a Lichling's metamorphosis is complete. The Lichling through an act of instinct creates an anchor tying themselves to the mortal plain. Sometimes the Lichling conjures this object from the eather while othertimes it merely imbues some previous item or trinket from its life with the power.

As long as the object exists, a Lichling cannot be destroyed. If reduced to zero or fewer hitpoints, the Lichling instead falls into a state where their "body" appears dead to all mundane observation(though detect undead, detect magic, or detect (Alignment) spells will register them as Undead, Strong Necromancy, and their Alignments respectively.) Each day, the Lichling regains virtual hitpoints equal to their charisma modifier. When these virtual hitpoints become equal to their maximum total hit points, the Lichling reanimates, all wounds regenerated, wherever their body remains.

Should th eLichlingg's body have been totally destroyed after their "death," or should they have been "slain" by such a method in the first place, then a new body is instead created whole cloth in the closest empty space to their Anchor.

A Lichling does not know automatically what their Anchor is, but have an instinctive desire to keep it safe. Once they've reanimated of the first time, however, most Lichlings figure it out. They're not stupid, after all.

A Lichling's Anchor is statistically identical to a Lich's Phylactery but can take the form of any object that a child of the Lich's base race could carry on their person. A Lichling does not need any item creation feats and pays no cost for materials nor an experience cost.

This, above all else, is why most true Lich's hate Lichlings. A Lich often has to work for decades or make dark deals with darker beings to achieve their undead immortality, while a Lichling it just... Happens. It takes no effort on the undead child's part and requires no investment. It isn't fair. Though... As some scholars of the undead note, Lichlings are Slaymates, and a Slayemate existing in the first place isn't fair either.

[Rater202]

ONRYO

Literally "Vengeful Spirit," an Onryo is born when someone, usually a young person, is wronged in such a way that causes them to die with a terrible rage and bloodlust.

The stereotype is an adolescent girl with grey or porcelain skin, dressed in robes, long shirts, or shrouds of white, with stringy-black hair that obscures her face but anyone who dies under the appropriate context can potentially return in such form.

Despite being called spirits, an Onryo is all too real as a physical threat.

Prerequisites: Slaymate Level 4. Nongood alignment

D12 hit dice, Skills same as Slaymate, good will saves, half BAB. 10 levels.

Ire: An Onryo cannot be deterred from hunting the target of their undying rage. At first level, an Onryo gains the power to mark an individual who they do not perceive as a friend. As long as someone is so marked, an Onryo always knows if they are on the same plane as the target of their ire and if so which direction they are in. If the target is within 30 feet, the Onryo automatically knows their exact location even if the subject is invisible or the onryo's senses are obstructed.

An Onryo must list one or more grievances when marking the target of their ire. The grievances need not be reasonable, but there must be some direct harm to the Onryo: An Onryo can name someone the target of their ire if they cut ahead of them in line, but not for just being some random person on the street. The Target of an Onryo's ire, if they become aware of the grievances, can free themselves of this condition by performing a ritual of appeasement. Rituals vary but must include some kind of ceremony, a specific apology for each grievance, an offering of some kind, and a casting of Break Enchantment. The apology must be genuine, and the Onryo will automatically know that the ritual is taking place.

Otherwise, the target of the Onryo's ire is only freed when they die, when the Onryo is destroyed, or if the Onryo itself willingly lets go of their hatred.

A creature freed from an Onryo's Ire cannot be placed under it again until either one year passes or they deliberately perform an egregious offense against the Onryo, whichever comes first.

The parent or guardian whose betrayal lead to the death of the Slaymate who became the Onryo is automatically a target of the Onryo's ire and cannot be freed of it under any circumstances save for Death. Otherwise, the Onryo can have as a number of targes equal to their charisma modifier, to a minimum of 1(plus their killer.)

Summoning: From first level onward, an Onryo can be summoned by any Summon Monster or Summon Undead spell, or a planer binding spell, cast by Someone who knows the story of their death and reanimation and a name or title that the Onryo answers to. An Onryo who is summoned by such means is not under the control of the summoner and can resist the summoning with a Will save with a DC equal to the summoners Caster Level. An Onryo always knows exactly who is trying to summon them and why. If the spell has a duration, upon its end the Onryo returns to their previous position, shoving aside any creatures or objects that came to occupy it in their absence.

At fifth level, the Onryo's player may devise a ritual action that allows anyone who knows it to summon them without a spell. Examples include "say my name five times in front of a mirror," "recite a nursery rhyme about me," "disrespect the anniversary of my death," or "read a passage copied from my diary." If the summoner has no spellcasting levels, or has more hit dice than caster level, treat their hit dice as the caster level. This is otherwise identical to being summoned as above.

Pursuit: An Onryo's prey cannot escape them. At second Level an Onryo gains a swim speed, climbing speed, and supernatural flight speed equal to their land speed if they do not already. A Onryo flies with perfect maneuverability. If they already possess such a mode of movement, use whichever is best.

At fourth level. all of the Onryo's movement speeds permenantly double.

At sixth level, an Onryo gains the ability to use Dimension Door as a spell-like ability. If ne of the Targets of their Ire is within range, the Onryo can teleport to any unoccupied space within 30 feet of the target at will, bringing only themselves. Otherwise, they can use the spell a number of times per day equal to their Charisma Modifier. Their caster level is the sum of their Slaymate and Onryo Levels.

At Eight Level, an Onryo can, at will, become incorporeal for the purposes of traveling through barriers or terrain. The Onryo is still subject to attacks from corporeal creatures and can still attack them, but can also strike at incorporeal enemies. While in this state, an Onryo can only make a single move action or a single attack action.

Bestow Curse: A third level Onryo can cast Bestow Curse a number of times per day equal to their charisma modifier, with a caster level equal to the sum of their Onnryo and Slaymate levels. If the target is the target of the Onryo's Ire, then a single use of this ability instead casts Greater Bestow Curse.

Psychokenisis: A fifth level Onryo, as a Supernatural ability, gains the ability to replicate the effects of the Telekinesis spell. The effects are limited to short-range but are otherwise identical to the spell.

Haunting: One per day, an Onryo of seventh level or higher can cast greater teleport, carrying only themselves, to the nearest unoccupied space next to one the Target of their Ire. They may optionally greater teleport back to their orignal location, displacing anything that has come to occupy that space in that time, within the hour.

Yur Soul is Mine: If an Onryo of ninth level or higher slays the target of their Ire, they may optionally devour the target's soul. This prevents the target from being raised from the dead by any means short of wish, miracle, or direct divine intervention unless the Onryo is destroyed first. After one year, the target's soul is fully 'digested' and they can no longer be resurrected even if the Onyo is destroyed. A victim of this process who is successfully restored to life possesses a memory of continuous, unspeakable torture.

An Onryo can only devour one soul at a time, and the "slot" for the target of their Ire does not open until they have fully 'digested' the captured soul.

A will save with a DC equal to 10 plus the Ornyo's charisma modifier spares a victim from this fate, allowing them to pass on properly.

Eternal Enmity: An Onryo of Tenth level or higher is an embodiment of rage, more of a living curse than an undead creature. As long at least one Target of the Onyo's Ire is alive and so marked, an Onryo benefits from an ability identical to a Ghost's Rejuvenation ability. Furthermore, if the Onryo was destroyed by a being who is not the target of their Ire and the Onryo has a free slot, then their slayer is automatically made a Target of the Onryo's Ire upon making a successful Level check to rejuvenate.

Furthermore, at this point the Onryo uses their total hit dice to calculate Caster Level for All Onryo abilities.This is probably a little overpowered but...

Onryo is literally "Vengeful Spirit" in Japanese. The Ring/Grudge inspiration should be obvious, but by a strict definition Freddy Kruger and Candy Man also fit the bill, soo this could easily be adapted to represent such urban legends,

[Rater202]

BELOVED

A bit of a strange take on the Slaymate. Very rarely, a child will be outwardly loved by their guardian, but not as a person but as a thing. A symbol of status, an heir to shape in their image(whether they like it or not,) or a curiosity that draws attention to a narcissistic parent.

Sometimes, the pressures put on such a child result in their death—a child performer who is presented s a curiosity might be kidnapped by a crazed fan, or... More dark possibilities exist. Sometimes the pressure just, gets to people.

Such children tend to have all the tops pulled out for their funerals, and thus, if a Slaymate born from this specific kind of neglect, a death caused by putting the child's value as a commodity or prize above their well beings, cannot pass for living, they tend to be remarkably well preserved. Perhaps they're dressed in expensive funeral clothes and smell of spices and perfumes used to cover up decay, or perhaps they were subjected to mummification.

More disturbingly, sometimes a crazed killer will do something to preserve a victim's body as some sort of trophy. If said killer is a guardian of a child and makes that child their victim, then those circumstances are more than close enough to the circumstances that create a beloved.

The focus on preserving the child's remains, while under normal circumstances an act of love, can instead become a farce. One last attempt to use the child for some purpose, and...

The focus on preservation has an effect on the Slaymate's development. A Slaymate that evolves into a beloved is remarkably difficult to return to the grave.

Five levels, half base attack, good will saves, d12 hit dice.

Prerequisites: Four levels of Slaymate and the Pale Armor feature for your Pale Mastery.

Heartiness: A Beloved of First level gains Improved Toughness as a Bonus Feat, and is considered to have Toughness for the purposes of prerequisites. In addition, a Slaymate adds their Charisma Modifier to hit points once er hit die, similar to a living creature adding the constitution modifier to hit points.

Damage Reduction: A beloved of Second Level gains Damage Reduction equal to their total levels in the Beloved class. At first, this damage reduction is a supernatural effect overcome by Magica Good aligned weapons(even if the Beloved themself is good-aligned, "cosmic alignment" does not always align with matters of mortal ethics and morality.) but at Fifth Level, the Beloved's damage reduction becomes an extraordinary effect that can no longer be overcome by any means.

Fast Healing: a Beloved of Third level gains Fast Healing equal to their charisma modifier.

Energy Resistance: A Beloved of fourth level gains Energy Resistance to acid, cold, electricity, fire, and sonic equal to twice their charisma modifier. This stacks with any other sources of energy resistance.

Revenant-Child: Sometimes undead creatures need to be "double tapped." A beloved is no different. A beloved is rendered into a deathlike state when reduced to zero hit points but is not destroyed until it reaches -10, as though it was a living creature. A beloved can be reanimated upon it's hit points being restored to 1 or more by any means. If destroyed, a Beloved can be revived with the spell Revive Undead no matter how much time has passed, as long as even so much as a single shard of bone remains. The Beloved is restored in full by this process, regenerating any and all missing body parts and being revived at full hit points, in opposition to the state normal undead are revived into. A Beloved can still be revived by the spell Revive Undead, even if they were destroyed by a turnig effect.

[Segev]

While I'm not great at judging balance of monster-classes, I am very fond of slaymates, and appreciate the efforts put here. I'm torn between particularly liking the onryo and thinking it a bit redundant with the base concept of the slaymate; maybe it just is the "most natural" evolution of them. :shrug:

As an aside, I've thought the swarmshifter template applied to slaymates, for undead maggots and flies, would be a neat touch, and have in the past tried to figure out a balanced way for a necromancer to add those to undead.

[Rater202]

While I'm not great at judging balance of monster-classes, I am very fond of slaymates, and appreciate the efforts put here. I'm torn between particularly liking the onryo and thinking it a bit redundant with the base concept of the slaymate; maybe it just is the "most natural" evolution of them. :shrug:

As an aside, I've thought the swarmshifter template applied to slaymates, for undead maggots and flies, would be a neat touch, and have in the past tried to figure out a balanced way for a necromancer to add those to undead.

That's basically the gist of it. It's meant to be a ghost analog, and, well, vengeful ghosts. And Japanese media has a long tradition of particularly powerful vengeful ghosts born from children or young women who suffered some kind of betrayal, so... Yeah, they're the most logical progression. And, strictly speaking, it can be taken in conjunction with one of the other classes even.

as for Swarm Shifter... About that...

NEWBLOODS (name suggested by HalfTangible)

Other than mindless zombies and animated skeletons, vampires are probably the most well-known variety of undead. Able to pass for living, fearing the sun, feeding on the blood, life, or rarely more esoteric essences of the living and reanimated by some variety of contagious curse.

As a pre-existing variety of undead, Slaymates are obviously not susceptible to vampirism and, in fact, do not really offer anything of value to a vampire in terms of nourishment... But this doesn't mean that imitation and convergent evolution aren't possible.

A Newblood is born when a Slaymate develops a taste for fresh blood, and the symbolic resonance of this process affects their development.

How true vampires feel about Newbloods varies from individuals, though hatred of a perceived mockery and condescending affection are both common. Rarely, a vampire who styles themself as a noble might 'adopt' a Newblood who can pass for living as an 'heir.'

Prerequisites: Four Levels of Slaymate.
Must have brought a living opponent to 0 or fewer hit points using your bite attack.
Cannot have any levels of Little Ghoul.

10 levels.
Half BAB, Skills same as Slaymate, Good Will.

Blood Thirst: At first level, a Newblood's thirst for blood lets them inflict more grievous wounds upon a victim: For every level of th eNewblood class, add a plus one bonus to total damage inflicted by the Newblood's bite attack to represent the tearing, gushing wounds the Newblood has learned to inflict.

Unlike a true vampire, a Newblood has no compulsion to consume blood, no dietary dependency, and at first no benefit from it. For the new blood, the consumption of blood or other vital fluids is for the sake of simply enjoying the taste. At first.

Pin: A Newblood of second level or higher is particularly adept at and maneuvering so as to get to the yummy blood they crave. If a Newblood succeeds in landing a bite attack, the Newblood can immediately attempt to grapple as a free action. If a Newblood succeeds in pinning an opponent during a grapple, they can treat their bite attack as a touch attack when targetting the pinned opponent.

Furthermore, at second level, a Newblood whose base race is medium or larger counts as their base race's normal size for the purposes of grappling. At fourth level, the Newblood gains Improved Grapple as a bonus feat even if they do not meet the prerequisites(or any feat they qualify for, if they already have it.) A sixth-level Newblood adds their charisma modifier to their Strength modifier for the purposes of grapple checks. An eighth-level Newblood uses their total hit dice instead of their base attack bonus.

Greater Blood Thirst: A third-level Newblood's bite attack behaves as if it had the wounding property. For every point of constitution damage inflicted in this manner, the Newblood heals their charisma modifier in hit points. Any hit points in excess of their maximum are in the form of temporary hit points that vanish at the end of the encounter.

Charming Gaze. At fifth level, a Newblood begins to more closely resemble the vampires they imitate. As a supernatural ability, a Newblood can duplicate the effects of a Charm Monster Spell, at a caster level equal to their total level in Slaymate and Newblood, upon any creature with functional eyes that it can meet the gaze of as a Standard action. At tenth level, a Newblood's caster level becomes equal to their Hit Dice.

Sanctuary: As a vampire's coffin is their sanctuary, so too can a Newblood of seventh level or higher create such a safe place to rest. A Newblood's sanctuary is a box at least large enough to comfortably fit a creature of the Newblood's size and no larger than enough to comfortably fit a creature of a size larger made of metal, stone, or wood. A Newblood must spend 12 hours resting within such a box to claim it as their sanctuary. Most Newbloods acquire a casket or sarcophagus to serve this purpose, if possible. If destroyed, a Sanctuary can be replaced with no issue.

While resting in the Sanctuary, the Newblood heals their charisma modifier in health every hour.

Unquenchable: A Newblood of Ninth Level's thirst is never satisfied. The Newblood gains the scent ability and can automatically recognize track any creatures whose blood they've tasted by smell going forward, including when they tasted their blood and any pertinent details about the encounter. In addition, if the Newblood kills an enemy with their bite attack, they can elect to immediately spend a round feeding on the blood before it grows cold, healing one hit point per hit die of the creature, to a maximum of twice the Newblood's own hit dice with any in excess of their maximum hit points becoming temporary hitpoints that vanish at he end of the encounter.

Prince/Princess of The Night: A Tenth Level Newblood gains the ability to, at will, transform into a swarm of shadowy creatures in the shape of bats. The swarm occupies a ten by ten square and moves with a fly speed of good maneuverability equal to twice the Newblood's land speed.

While in this form, the Newblood is impervious to weapon damage but still subjected to area of effect damage. Any creature within the swarm's occupied space, excepting those the swarm chooses to spare, must make a reflex save or take damage(including con damage) s if hit by the Newblood's bite attack. A Newblood heals their charisma modifier in hit points if anyone suffers constitutional damage(but only once per round, no matter how many people take constitution damage.)

If a Newblood has a sanctuary and is reduced to 0 hit points, they are instead forced into Swarm Form and have a number of hours equal to their charisma modifier to return to their sanctuary. they cannot take any action but to retreat and do not inflict damage while in thi state. If they take any damage is this time, or fail to make it to their sanctuary, they are destroyed. Otherwise, they can revert to solid form and rest in their sanctuary in a dormant state until restored to full health. A Newblood is helpless while dormant in their sanctuary.Not a vampire, but good luck convincing anyone that you're not one.

[Rater202]

Thread Necromancy
Bringing a thread back from "the dead." If a thread hasn't been posted in within the last 45 days, don't reply to it. Start a new topic, if you want to discuss the subject (you are welcome to link to the old thread). If you think it would be better to resurrect an old thread, PM a moderator for that subforum and wait for approval. The original poster of a creation in Homebrew (and only that poster) may revive a creation beyond the 45 day threshold without prior Moderator approval.IfI understand this correctly, this means I can revive the thread now that I have a few more ideas.

I apologize if I have misunderstood

Cold Ones.

Prerequisites: Four levels of Slaymate and the approaite backstory.

A Cold One is a Slaymate who died when a parent deliberately forced them out in the cold, or abandoned them to freeze to death in winter. Similar to a Cold Born, the Cold Ones constantly crave any source of warmth. A similarity that earns them their name. In appearance, they have the same variety as a base Slaymate, but any who can pass for a living tend to have the features of one who spent too long in the cold and every Cold One is uncomfortably cool to the touch.

A Cold One has the same saving through progression, hit dice, and skills as a Slaymate. The class has four levels.

Please, may I have a warm meal?: At first level, the bite attack the Cold One gained as a slaymate deals an additional 1d4 cold damage as the Slaymate literally sucks warmth from the body of their victim.

I'm So Cold, Please Hold Me: At second level, any creature invovled in a grapple with a Cold One takes 1d4 cold damage from the extended contact siphoning away their body heat. The Cold One can dim this ability enough to safely have contact with others, however, and restore it at reflexively at will as a free action... But usually only if they have prolonged contact with the living.

Why Am I Always So Cold?: At Third Level, a Cold One is immune to all sources of fire damage. Furthermore, they cannot be ignited by any means and any nonmagical fire they come into contact with that is equal to or smaller than the volume of their body is immediately extinguished. A human Cold One, small-sized, could extinguish a campfire by stepping in it, while a storm giant Cold One(large) could do the same to a house fire.

Throwing flaming oil on a Cold One just makes them oily.

Why Can't I Stay Warm!?: At Fourth Level, when the Cold One is at its most frustrated with its inability to feel warm, a childish outburst can bring with it catastrophic consequences. As a full round action the Cold One can vent its frustrations and in doing so temporarily magnify the warmth draining aura they generate. Everything within a thirty-foot circle centered on the cold one immediately takes 1d6 cold damage and must make a fortitude save or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage, as though they had just spent one minute in extreme cold. In addition, any nonmagical fires within the area are extinguished. Large fires only partially within the area continue to burn outside the affected area, and nothing is stopping more fires from being started.

The affected area continues to function as extreme cold for one per minute point of charisma modifier the Cold One has, to a minimum of one minute, but does not move with the Cold One.

The Cold One can do this at will, but no more than once per 1d4 rounds and not within an area that is still under the effect of a previous usage. The Cold One is immune to damage from this ability, but it otherwise does not distinguish between friend or for. This is a supernatural ability.

[Rater202]

Little Child.

One little, two little, three little children. Four little, five little, six little children. Seven little, eight little, nine little children... Found under the floorboards.

...But, the killer confessed to ten murders. Maybe, maybe they should have retrieved the bodies before they hung him?

Okay, now where the hell is the killer's body?Most Slaymates are born from the betrayal of a parent. You were one of the exceptions. Someone, someone deranged was targetting children for some purpose that inevitably ended with the children dead. A serial killer with a number of bodies to their name.

And then they were caught. And then they were executed. And then they got back up.

A Mohrg is an undead creature, usually nothing more than bones and writhing mutant organs, born from the remains of a serial killer or mass murderer.

You were their last victim, and the symbolic significance of that means that when they came back, so did you.A Little Child, their name coming from a particularly morbid take on a common melody, can rarely pass for living. Often they show signs of how they were murdered, such as unhealing stab wounds, clear bruising from strangulation, or more grievous injuries still. Or, if their killer was captured or killed during an extended cool-down period, the Little Child may have undergone major decay before reanimating.

Prerequisites: Four Levels of Slaymate. Appropriate backstory This class cannot be taken with Little Ghoul or Newblood.

The Little Child has six levels.

Tongue: Like the Mohrg they are tied to, the Little Child has a length of organ repurposed into a long prehensile tongue with a weaponized tip. The Little Child loses their bite attack and gains a tongue attack. This tongue counts as a melee touch attack and a natural weapon. It deals damage as their former bite attack, including die roll and type, and any effect, such as their pale wasting disease or any weapon focus or improved natural weapon feats, that apply specifically to the slaymate's bite apply to the little child's tongue.

Stealth:Be it becuase their supernatural connection to a sneaky killer or just habit from having trouble hiding themselves, a Little Child of second level or higher grows skilled at hiding themselves. As long as the Little Child is not being closely observed, they can always take ten on Hide or Move Silently checks.

Sneak Attack: At level 3, a Little Child gains the ability to quickly lash out with their tongue and take an opponent by surprise. Under any circumstance that a Rogue could inflict a sneak attack, the Little Child inflicts an additional 1d6 damage with their tongue. This increases to 2d6 at level five.

Improved Stealth: At level four, a Little Child can always take 20 on disguise checks in order to pass themselves as living long as they are not being closely observed and the disguise is reasonable. (concealing clothes to cover up death wounds, for example. or suit of concealing armor to pass a skeletal Little Child off as a halfling warrior.)

Improved Grab: At level six, if the Little Child succeeds in hitting a creature of their size or smaller with their tongue, they may immediately initiate a grapple as a free action without provoking an attack of opportunity.

[Rater202]

Hopping Corpseling

Sometimes when a person dies far from home, particularly if they were conscripted into hard labor, their soul is unable to rest. It becomes trapped in its stiff body, becoming an animate corpse that must move by hopping and feed upon the vital energy of the living.

...And sometimes, a necromancer can force such a transformation with a paper talisman affixed to their face.

Sometimes, this happens to children.

Slaymates that become Hopping Corpselings often have trouble passing for a living. Even the ones that do not have such trouble are stiff in their movements, often jumping or skipping and holding their arms out before them. Those created by Necromancers who are either still under their creator's control or who were freed by the death of their creator can often be identified by the tags on their faces.

Prerequisites: At least one level of the Slaymate Racial class, must have selected jump as a class skill.

The Hopping Corpseling has the same hit dice, saving throws, skills, and skill points as the base Slamate Racial class, and has three levels.

Hopping: A Hopping Corpseling of first level or higher can always take 10 on a jump check.

Claws: At second level, a Hopping Corpseling's nails turn into long, sharp, and strong claws. These claws deal 1d3 damage for a small Hopping Corpseling and scale with size. A Hopping Corpseling can make one claw attack as attack action or two claw attacks as secondary natural weapons as part of a full attack action, alongside the bite attack they possess as a Slaymate.

Energy Drain: When a Hopping Corpseling successfully deals damage to a living creature with one or more of their natural weapons, they inflict one negative level on the target and gain 1d6 hit points. If this puts them above their maximum hit points, they instead gain them as temporary hit points until the end of the encounter. A Hopping Corpseling can only inflict one negative level per round, and no more than their charisma modifier to any given creature at a time.